Life is Good
We catch up with Life of Mjau blogger Kajsa Ingelsson to talk Eco Chic and the retro revolution…
We all love to pick up a vintage bargain or two on our travels but had you thought about the ecological benefits of adding a few second hand treasures to your wardrobe as well as the aesthetic ones?
Luckily, super-stylish blogger and committed vegan Kajsa Ingelsson of Life of Mjau knows a thing or two about bagging a retro bargain and is determined to spread the word about the ecological importance of second-hand style through the new Eco Chic section of her super-popular website.
“Life of Mjau is my passion project,” says Kajsa when we catch up to talk to the gorgeous ex-model, who spent time in Europe before hitting LA, about her obsession with sustainable second-hand fashion with a heart.
“It all started about two years ago when I was living in LA and feeling super-overwhelmed about all the sad news over the state of our planet,” explains Kajsa who takes a holistic approach to eating, living and shopping well.
Kajsa started to look for information on what she could do to make sure she was a part of the solution and not the problem but couldn’t find the site she was looking for. “I wanted something fun and colourful with easy steps to take and information that wasn’t just focusing on the bad.” So Kajsa decided she would give up looking and just create her own website in the hope of helping other people too.
With that as a mood board Life of Mjau was born in December 2015. The blog is built on the core belief that people who care about themselves also take an interest of doing the same to our planet. “The blog is for anybody who cares about our planet and the animals that walk here on earth with us.”
And clearly lots of people share her philosophy. Kajsa’s fans range from mums looking for healthy recipes for their kids’ right through to curious pensioners, including an 80-year-old grandfather looking for a new take on the state of our planet after spending years trying to decipher the conflicting messages in the news.
“The blog is for anybody who cares about our planet and the animals that walk here on earth with us.” – Kajsa of Life of Mjau
Kajsa, who first trained as a health and lifestyle coach before working as a yoga instructor and personal trainer, is one of a growing breed of women who want to feel great inside and out and for whom throw-away fashion is as unappealing as fast food. But she is aware that for some people second hand can be scary.
“The mission behind Eco Chic is to wash away the smell that sometimes comes to mind when people are thinking about second hand fashion,” says Kajsa. “I read somewhere that in the UK alone customers have billions of pounds of unworn clothes lingering in their wardrobes. That’s massive!” And she’s right, but it is tricky to know where to look, which is exactly what Kajsa realised when she decided to curate the best vintage shops in the world on her site.
My favourite vintage stores at the moment are Ruse in Montreal, El Dorado in Detroit and VOID in Mexico City. I also love Luxuca.com as a one-stop-shop.
“Being an avid vintage shopper myself, I thought why not collect all the coolest thrift shops in the world and make a directory with a search function so that people can discover stores close to them. There’s nothing like the high of finding a perfect, unique vintage piece to hold and have forever.”
So come on then Kajsa, where should we be looking?
“My favourite vintage stores at the moment are Ruse in Montreal, El Dorado in Detroit and VOID in Mexico City. I also love Luxuca.com as a one-stop-shop.”
But we don’t have to shop exclusively in second-hand stores to our bit for the planet. Kajsa is also working on her own vegan handbag line, joining big-hitters such as Stella McCartney in eschewing leather for animal-friendly products. And with passion like hers we think we’ll be hearing lots more from this eco-warrior!
